Rise To Glory.
by hibiki
Summary: This fic charts the life of Sephiroth from when he first joins SOLDEIR to when he meets Cloud. Please R&R. Chapter 4 now up.
1. Saviour of Kalm

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that are related to Final Fantasy 7. They belong to squaresoft and I take no credit.  
  
Beads of sweat dropped from the face of the young SOLDIER. His eyes green from the Mako infusion, he could strike fear into the heart of the strongest man with just a single, piercing glare. His long silver hair blew around him as he stood there, his opponent defeated. Sephiroth had just beaten the first challenge of becoming a SOLDIER elite, and he loved the thrill.  
  
The skies were black around Kalm, the dragon attacking the small town had just been felled and it was nearly unbelievable that just one single warrior accomplished this task. Sephiroth's sword, the Masamune was starting to shine as sunlight broke through the black clouds. Rain started to poor as this happened and taking a rag from his pocket, Sephiroth wiped his sword clean before finally returning it to it's sheath. He raised his head and opened his mouth to catch the rain.  
  
"I have been attacking this evil beast for nearly a month now." He said to himself, "Finally I can rest." He started to laugh, "It took so long to defeat the beast yet the battle only lasted a matter of minutes. At least I'm still alive."  
  
Residents of the town started emerging from there houses. They all wanted to see how many people had defeated the dragon, not knowing that it was just one man. Upon seeing Sephiroth, just one small, nearly weak looking man, none of them could believe their own eyes. Sephiroth could hear talking around him,  
  
"Who is that man?", "How did he manage that?", "Will he be coming for us next?"  
  
Sephiroth laughed again,  
  
"I am not here to kill any of you, I am a member of SOLDIER."  
  
"It's true, look at his eyes." Shouted one man,  
  
"Look, his sword, only a member of SOLDIER could wield a weapon of such size."  
  
Sephiroth was loving the attention, he had grown up alone and never had parents or friends. He was always alone and quiet. He was invited back to the bar in Kalm where he received offers for drinks and food yet he offered to pay for everyone to drink and eat.  
  
"We owe you, let us pay." Shouted a chorus of men,  
  
"Don't be silly, keep your money my friends, you need it." Replied Sephiroth, "It would be my honour to pay."  
  
For the first time in his life, Sephiroth was enjoying himself with other people. Normal people, none of them rich nor poor yet all of them kind and giving. After the festivities in the bar, Sephiroth headed towards the inn. On his way there he noticed a house for sale. He liked the look of it and decided to himself that he would sleep on the idea of buying it. He did not own a house of his own and if he became a SOLDIER elite he would be able to live outside of Midgar, only having to return for missions. He liked the townspeople and decided that it would become a good home. Upon awakening the next morning he went down to the house and talked to the seller.  
  
"Hello sir, what may I do for you?" asked the man,  
  
"What is the asking price on this house?" replied Sephiroth.  
  
"200,000gil. But as you saved the village I can take the price down to 150,000gil for you."  
  
"Would it be possible to hold the sale of this house back for two months?"  
  
"Why sure it would. Their haven't been any other buyers anyway so I'd be happy to."  
  
"Thank you my good man." Said Sephiroth, "I must now depart this town and return to Midgar. I shall come back within two months."  
  
Sephiroth left later that day to return to Midgar. He reach the outskirts of the city and removed a phone from his pocket, dialling a number he placed it to his right ear.  
  
"SOLDIER pickup required."  
  
"Roger. We need your name before sending pickup."  
  
"Sephiroth."  
  
"Oh, sorry for the delay Mr Sephiroth, the pickup is on it's way."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
The transport arrived a few minutes later and Sephiroth boarded it. As it lifted off, a brilliant view of Midgar came into sight. Each of the 8 reactors were burning away and the lights shone from Shinra building towering high above the slums of the city. This was Sephiroth's home for the moment but he was looking forward to living in Kalm very soon. 


	2. Hikaru

The door burst open and Sephiroth marched into the office of president Shinra.  
  
"Mission completed." He said with a salute. "Awaiting further orders."  
  
"Firstly, congratulations on a job well done, I see a glittering career ahead of you in SOLDIER. Secondly, there are rumours of an uprising against my company in Junon, your orders are to accompany a handful of troops to assess how strong they are."  
  
"Yes sir!" replied Sephiroth, "anything else?"  
  
"No, that is all."  
  
Sephiroth left the office and headed towards the train station.  
  
"Number 7 arriving at platform three. Anyone heading for sector 3 please board."  
  
That's my train thought Sephiroth and he boarded. The carriage shook as the train went into motion. Shops and houses started flying passed the windows as the train moved along the track. Half way through the journey, a group of suspicious looking people moved into Sephiroth's carriage. One of them was tall, with another short and one more of an average height. They walked over to a woman who was sitting, reading the Shinra express, the official Midgar newspaper. The short man sat down next to her as the other two tried talking to her.  
  
"Hey little girlie." Said the tall man, "Why don't you get comfortable with me in the seat over there?"  
  
The woman didn't look up. "I'm speaking to you woman!" he shouted, snatching the paper from her and ripping it in half.  
  
Sephiroth stood up and watched as they started to threaten the woman. He walked over to them,  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" asked the average man,  
  
"I was just wondering if I could catch your names."  
  
"Why should we tell you."  
  
"Because I'll need to tell the priest what to put on your headstones." Replied Sephiroth. The tall man turned to him and looked at him with a look of anger on his face. He looked back down at the woman who was trying to stop the short one from touching her.  
  
"Hey, don't fight him or any of us woman." Said the tall man, delivering a slap to her young face. The three men started to laugh. Raising his hand again, Sephiroth dodged behind him and grabbed his arm.  
  
"Leave her!" he said, a tone of anger in his voice. If he were anywhere else he would have pulled his sword out by now, but with the innocent girl here he did not want to harm her by accident.  
  
"So, you really do want to fight then do you." Said the tall man. "Fine, let old Aiden show you how it's done."  
  
Sephiroth let go of Aidens arm and stood there, waiting for the following attack. When it came, he dodged with ease and delivered a knee to Aidens stomach, sending him flying out of the train window in a shatter of glass.  
  
"What the hell are you?" said the short man,  
  
"A SOLDIER elite." Replied Sephiroth.  
  
"Oh man, lets get outta here!" grabbing his friend, he ran off out of the carriage.  
  
"Are you ok miss?" he asked the woman. She looked up at him, blood dripping from her nose and mouth. She started to cry and he held her, giving her a shoulder to cry on.  
  
"Come back to my place and I'll get you cleaned up." Said Sephiroth when she had stopped crying.  
  
"Thank you." She said, looking at him in adoration. "Why did you protect me?"  
  
"Because it's my job, plus I'd never stand back while a helpless woman get's beaten."  
  
"I haven't introduced myself yet, My name is Hikaru."  
  
"I'm Sephiroth."  
  
The train pulled into the station and Sephiroth helped Hikaru off. He escorted her back to the apartment he was currently staying in. The light's flickered on as he opened the door.  
  
"Take a seat anywhere you want." He said cheerfully, heading into the kitchen. It seemed that he had quite a lot of pride in the state his apartment was in. He hadn't been home for over a month now and he always kept it tidy. Hikaru took a seat next to a training dummy that looked well used. Sephiroth now entered the main room carrying a bowl of water with a towel over his shoulder. He had removed his long black coat and he was wearing just a black top and his black trousers.  
  
"Thanks for everything Sephiroth." Said Hikaru,  
  
"Don't mention it." He replied.  
  
He washed the blood from her face and gave her the towel to dry the water off.  
  
  
  
"Where do you live?" he asked her.  
  
"The other side of Midgar, I was heading home on the train."  
  
"Oh, well instead of risking it, you should stay here for the night. Take my bed."  
  
"No, I can't." said Hikaru, "I really shouldn't impose."  
  
"It's fine. I could do with some company for once."  
  
"Don't you bring a lot of women here?" she asked him.  
  
"No, I don't talk to many people that often. Men or women." He replied, sounding a bit shy.  
  
"I'm surprised, you're an excellent fighter and I'm sure a lot of women would fall for you."  
  
"No, I'm usually really quiet around people. I don't have much time for myself."  
  
Hikaru was listening intentively, she couldn't believe how lonely this young man was. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Sephiroth stood up and said,  
  
"I'll get you something to sleep in. I should have a shirt round here somewhere." He walked to his room and opened one of the drawers. Taking out a big, white shirt, he returned to the main room.  
  
"Here." He said, tossing the shirt to Hikaru.  
  
"Thank you. I don't know how I could ever repay your hospitality."  
  
"How about meeting again sometime." He replied.  
  
"Really, are you sure you want to be seen with someone like me?"  
  
"What's wrong with someone like you?"  
  
"I'm a low class worker. I'm just a secretary for Shinra." She replied, going quiet.  
  
"I don't care what your job is. I like you."  
  
"Really. Thank you."  
  
Sephiroth turned around and walked outside the apartment, letting Hikaru get changed. He stood outside as it started to rain. The rain was acidic so Sephiroth stayed out of it as much as possible. Thoughts were running through his head the whole time. Thought's like, "I really like her," and more importantly, "Does she like me." A voice rang from inside the apartment,  
  
"You can come in now."  
  
Sephiroth entered and Hikaru was sitting on the sofa wearing his shirt, her clothes neatly folded and placed on a chair to the left of her. Sephiroth couldn't keep himself from liking her. She had a wonderful figure and what seemed like lightly tanned skin. Her hair a radiant mixture of brown and red. This colour highlighted her features and she looked beautiful. He sat next to her on the sofa and they started talking. After an hour of talking, they were both sitting there with a cup of coffee. Suddenly Hikaru started talking again.  
  
"Do you like me Sephiroth?" she asked,  
  
"Of course I do. You wouldn't be here if I didn't." he replied.  
  
"No. I mean do you really like me?"  
  
Sephiroth froze. He had longed for this question since he first brought her home.  
  
"Yes, I do like you." He just managed to say. From spending so much time alone, he found it difficult to express his emotions. He forced himself to say something else.  
  
"Sitting here now, I… I think… I think you look beautiful."  
  
Hikaru was shocked. Such a quiet man managing to tell her how he felt about her.  
  
"You're not joking?" she asked.  
  
"No. I think that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."  
  
She couldn't stop herself. Within seconds she had fallen into Sephiroth's arms and had her eyes closed. Sephiroth looked down at her and rested his head upon hers. They stayed like that for a few minutes before finally breaking apart. Hikaru had tears running down her face as Sephiroth held her hand.  
  
"You are the first person I have ever felt this way about." He told her.  
  
She leaned towards him and before he knew it, they were in a passionate embrace. This was Sephiroth's first ever kiss.  
  
That's all you're getting for now. I'm not gonna put up the next chapter until I get some reviews. 


	3. The journey to Junon

The night passed as Sephiroth and Hikaru spent the time with each other. Early in the morning, Sephiroth awoke to the smell of a good breakfast. Looking up from the sofa, he could see Hikaru standing over the cooker, a look of pure happiness on her face. They had not spent the whole night with each other as Sephiroth did not want to take advantage, plus he only had his first kiss on that night and didn't want to rush things too far. Hikaru saw him look up from where he lay,  
  
"Good morning." She said with a happy sound in her voice.  
  
"Morning?" said Sephiroth, sounding worried. "Hikaru, what time is it?"  
  
"Umm, it's about half past ten." She replied,  
  
"Crap!" shouted Sephiroth, "I'm gonna be late." He jumped off the sofa and headed to the bathroom.  
  
He washed his face quickly and brushed his teeth. Looking in the mirror, he ran a comb through his silver hair, it shimmered in the light from outside. He then exited the bathroom and entered his bedroom. As he started to change, Hikaru walked to the door and looked in as he was about to put his top on. Then it hit him, what would he say to Hikaru?  
  
"Calm down Sephy." She said, "You're gonna tire yourself out before you get to work."  
  
He paused, he couldn't just leave straight away.  
  
"Sorry." He said sheepishly, "I should calm down. So what if I'm late for one day." He moved closer to Hikaru until her breast was only inches away from his chest. She pushed up against his bare chest and rose up on her toes. She lightly kissed him on the cheek before laying her head to rest on his shoulder. Sephiroth didn't know what to do. He had no experience at all in this matter. All he could do was hold her close to him, he felt a strong feeling coming over him. Could this be real love?  
  
She pulled her head back and looked up into his big green eyes.  
  
"I made you breakfast." She said,  
  
"Thanks Hikaru."  
  
"You better eat it before you leave. I'll finish it of while you continue getting dressed."  
  
She walked back to the kitchen and let Sephiroth continue.  
  
At the breakfast table, Sephiroth found it hard to eat as he was completely distracted by Hikaru. He found it cute the way that she would just nibble the corners of her toast.  
  
'This must be love.' He thought to himself, 'I can't get her out of my head.'  
  
She looked at him, her blue eyes mesmerising.  
  
"I have to leave for a few days." He told her, "I wish I could spend more time with you but this is an important order."  
  
"What is it?" she asked, looking a little hurt at the fact that she wouldn't see her new love for days after only just meeting him.  
  
"There is an uprising in Junon, I have to accompany some troops and sort it out. I should return soon."  
  
"I take it there is no way I can stop you." She said, reaching her hands behind her neck, she unclipped the chain of her pendant and slowly removed the pendant from it's place, just above her breast. She pushed her hand forward towards Sephiroth, "Take this. It's my good luck pendant. I want you too return safely."  
  
"I should be fine."  
  
"Take it!" she insisted. Taking the pendant from her hand, Sephiroth fastened it around his neck and it fell into place just below his throat. He held her hand as they talked some more before he finally left the table.  
  
"Hikaru. If you wish, you may stay here all you want, it would be an honour for you to live here."  
  
"I'm afraid I can't stay at the moment, I have stuff to do at home. I'll come back when you return."  
  
"Keep the key anyway, I have another for myself and if you need anything here feel free to come and get it." He replied. He picked up his black coat and put it on. He then left the apartment and headed for the train station.  
  
Arriving nearly 2 hours late, Sephiroth was shouted at by president Shinra.  
  
"This is not the way to get ahead in SOLDIER!" he shouted,  
  
"I'm sorry sir, I over slept."  
  
"That's a pitiful excuse."  
  
"I apologise."  
  
The shouting went on for quite some time until Sephiroth finally took the elevator down to the transport dock. The troops were waiting there for him.  
  
"Is my sword in the truck already?" he asked the commander of the troops,  
  
"Yes sir, everything is in place."  
  
"Good, let's move out now."  
  
Climbing into the truck, they left Midgar, heading towards the Mythril mines. There was no transport by air or sea from this side of the mines. Due to the use of the truck, they decided to drive over the marshes, risking an encounter with the Zolem that resided inside them. The journey was going smoothly until the truck stopped.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sephiroth asked the driver,  
  
"Something is pulling the truck back."  
  
"I'll see what's happening."  
  
Sephiroth picked up his sword and opened the side door of the truck, stepping out onto the wet floor of the marsh. He saw the problem instantly, The Zolem had caught them.  
  
Unsheathing the Masamune, Sephiroth took his stance, ready to fight. The Zolem released the truck and advanced towards Sephiroth. Running full speed, the Zolem was intercepted by the Masamune, cutting through the underbelly of the beast. Sephiroth had a mad, violent look in his eyes. The Zolem rose up, almost doubling it's height. It lowered it's head and bit Sephiroth in the shoulder, blood spraying everywhere. Letting out a low scream of pain, Sephiroth broke loose of the Zolem grip on him. Then suddenly a bright green aura surrounded him in a circle, the energy moving upwards.  
  
"Bolt3!" shouted Sephiroth, a giant bolt of lightning emanating from the heavens and striking down the Zolem. It was finished, Sephiroth was successor of the battle, destroying his opponent. He quickly used a potion, that he had in the pocket of his long black coat, to restore his health before sheathing the Masamune and returning to the truck. When he entered, the troops inside were all shocked and amazed by the strength this young SOLDIER possessed. He was not yet an elite yet he beat the Zolem quite easily. Most of the elite's would take much longer and would not even manage to use a lightning attack at level 3. They felt a little more at ease now that they saw what Sephiroth was capable of.  
  
They finished crossing the marsh and moved through the mines with little trouble, just a few monsters here and there. When they emerged from the mines, it was already night time.  
  
"What do we do now Sephiroth?" asked the commander,  
  
"We'll keep on pushing forward, it shouldn't be too far to Junon from here."  
  
"Right." The commander saluted him and then rounded up the troops. The journey took little more than two hours to reach Junon. They entered the lower part of the city, Old Junon. They headed to the giant elevator at the back of the small town. Opening the steal door, Sephiroth led the troops inside and onto the platform. He tapped in some buttons on the control panel and the elevator started to move. When the platform reached the top, they all exited the elevator and found themselves in a brightly lit corridor, leading to various parts of Junon. Heading around the corner, they entered the locker room. There were clean Shinra uniforms in the lockers and everyone changed, except Sephiroth.  
  
Later that night, one of the troops tried talking to Sephiroth.  
  
"Hey, I know it none of my business, but why are you always so quiet."  
  
"Because I'm thinking." Replied Sephiroth,  
  
"About what?"  
  
"As you said, it's none of your business." The man walked off muttering to himself.  
  
"God damn SOLDIER. He thinks he's such a big shot."  
  
"I heard that." Said Sephiroth. The man froze. He seemed terrified by the tone of the voice that just spoke to him.  
  
"My apologies Mr Sephiroth."  
  
"Get out of my site."  
  
For Sephiroth, the night passed very slowly. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stop thinking about Hikaru. The way she looked, the way she smelled. He even remembered the way that she ate at the breakfast table that morning. He hardly slept at all that night, and when he finally managed to, he was woken up no more than two hours later by the commander of the troops. He just knew this was going to be a long day. 


	4. The attackers uncovered. (Very short sor...

Getting out of his bed, he quickly put his jacket on and lifted his sword. Emerging from his room, he was greeted by a view of panic and death. There were Shinra troops lying on the floor, blood pouring from their helmets.  
  
"What's happened here?" Sephiroth asked a commander.  
  
"The uprising. They've attacked."  
  
"Damnit. Quickly, send word back to Midgar and get reinforcements."  
  
"Yes sir!" the commander saluted.  
  
Moving from the building that he was staying in, Sephiroth ran down the main streets of Junon. He unsheathed the Masamune ready for battle. Suddenly he was attacked from above. Rebels throwing grenades down from the road above. Sephiroth dodged the explosions but was caught in the leg by a piece of shrapnel. Blood gushed out of the wound as Sephiroth looked down at his injury. He moved his hand down to the shrapnel and grabbed hold of it. He slowly started to pull it out and within time, his wound was open with nothing inside.  
  
"Shit! No time to use cure. I gotta keep moving!" Sephiroth said to himself.  
  
He again started to move down the street but this time at a slower pace. He was finding each movement difficult and was losing blood at a fast rate. He rounded a corner into an alley where he was confronted by one of the rebels, face to face.  
  
Finally Sephiroth discovered who the enemy were, Wutai. Soldiers from Wutai had launched an offensive on the city Junon and were no doubt heading towards Midgar in the near future. The soldier launched at Sephiroth but he was too slow, even with his loss of blood, the Masamune was swung with ease and sliced the man in half. Sephiroth wiped his sword clean and exited the alley. The street was quiet again. No more explosions or screaming, the soldiers had withdrawn. Sephiroth headed down the road once more back to the place he was staying. All the time he witnessed death and destruction. People lying motionless in the street. He saw a child crying by his mothers side, on closer inspection Sephiroth noticed the mother was dead, her chest ripped apart by shrapnel. As he continued, the sights just got worse until he reached his destination.  
  
Entering the building he talked to the commander he had spoken to earlier that day.  
  
"What is the damage report?" he asked,  
  
"Thirty men are down."  
  
"How about reinforcements?"  
  
"They're on their way."  
  
The commander looked down at Sephiroth's leg, blood still gushing from the wound.  
  
"Sir, we better get you to the infirmary."  
  
"No, leave me, I'll be fine."  
  
Sephiroth used a cure spell on himself, restoring his strength and healing the wound. He headed down the corridor of the building which led to the giant elevator.  
  
"Where are you going Sephiroth?" asked the commander,  
  
"I must return to Midgar quickly, I have urgent news for the president."  
  
He walked on, his coat swaying back and forth with each stride. The elevator reached the bottom and he emerged into old Junon. The air down here was stale and cold. Heading out of the city he progressed onto Midgar. Without the entourage of troops he made the journey much faster. Reaching the Mythril mines in a mere fifty minutes. On the other side of the mines he entered the truck that they had abandoned there. He made it across the marshes with no trouble and finally reached Midgar. He drove the truck into the transport dock and took the elevator up to the Shinra HQ. He ran up the stair in the HQ until he reached the top floor. He entered the presidents office.  
  
"Sephiroth!" exclaimed president Shinra in surprise. "What are you here for."  
  
"I have discovered who the enemy is," replied Sephiroth, "It's Wutai." 


End file.
